


lip gloss

by kopycat_101



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Art Club, Awkward Crush, Awkward Flirting, Bisexual Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Blushing, Boys In Love, Cute, Cute Ending, Cute Kids, Dorks, Dorks in Love, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gay Marc Anciel, Getting Together, Lipstick & Lip Gloss, M/M, Male-Female Friendship, Nathaniel and Alix are Childhood Best Friends, Slash, Supportive Teachers, Teen Crush, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Wingman Alix Kubdel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:00:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27054571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kopycat_101/pseuds/kopycat_101
Summary: Nathaniel is determined to flirt with Marc today during Art Club. When Marc’s re-applying his lip gloss, Nathaniel finds the perfect opening.
Relationships: Alix Kubdel & Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Art Teacher (Miraculous Ladybug) & Everyone, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 74
Collections: MarcNath Fics!





	lip gloss

**Author's Note:**

> Wanted to write something short, cute, and that would boost marcnath's fic numbers
> 
> I'm so glad I can now write short things. Apparently, all it takes is me being competitive--

* * *

Nathaniel speed-walks to Art Club right as the final bell rings, making sure he has enough time to settle in at his usual table before Marc.

Today, he was going to try and flirt with Marc. He’s wanted to for a while now, but Alix finally convinced him—well, threatened, really—to try and go for it. So that’s what he’s doing today.

He’s tossed and turned worrying about it, and spent yesterday night trying to go over lines and smiling in the mirror and thinking up scenarios.

He’s never felt so awkward, nervous, and unprepared for something in his entire life. Hopefully, it’ll work out.

Marc was… _Marc_. He’s kind, and talented, and patient, and amazing. And Nathaniel is _sure_ he’s caught Marc looking at him fondly when he thinks Nathaniel isn’t paying attention, so…All he needs to do is go for it.

Nathaniel feels his heart thrumming like a jackrabbit as he enters Room 33 and makes a beeline to his table. No one else other than the art teacher is in the room.

Mr. Carracci looks up from the paperwork on his desk and smiles at the young artist. Nathaniel gives a small smile back, already feeling much better from receiving such a kind and calming smile from his favorite teacher.

As the redhead settles into his seat, Alix skates right into the room. And she smirks at him. “Where’s the fire, Nath?” she asks cheekily, hands on her hips.

“Nowhere,” he answers quickly, narrowing his eyes at her.

“I dunno, you moved like you were being chased when the final bell rang,” his best friend teases.

“Alix…” he warns, sending her a glare. She’s teased him for so long about his inability to ask Marc out, and the day he decides to test the waters, she’s going to give him shit? “I’m doing it today, like I _promised_. So drop it.”

“Alright, alright…” the short girl drawls, sending him a shit-eating grin before skating to her usual spot. “Good luck, then!”

“Good luck with what?” Marc asks as he enters the room then, followed closely behind by Rose, Juleka, and Marinette.

The trio of girls give Nathaniel a pointed and expectant look—no doubt, they noticed how he’d all but bolted from their last class to get to Art Club. They also probably have their suspicions as to why. The redhead tries to beat back his embarrassment before he starts to blush. He’s so pale, he usually blushes with his whole face, and it’s always super noticeable.

“Nothing,” Nathaniel tells Marc quickly, before biting his lip, realizing how suspicious he sounds. Crap, he needs to cover for himself. “Just Alix being Alix.”

Marc just smiles back at him. Nathaniel’s heart flutters.

_“Keep it cool, Nath. You’ve got this_ ,” he thinks. Nathaniel smiles back.

* * *

Alix is already shaking up a spray paint can by her usual plywood canvas. Rose and Juleka walk hand-in-hand to their usual spot, Marinette going towards her clothing mannequins on the same side of the room.

Marc walks over and sits at his usual seat next to Nathaniel. As the writer rifles through his backpack, the artist opens up his sketchbook and pretends to be looking through his sketches while keeping an eye on Marc through his peripherals.

Marc gets out his notebook and a pen, settling them on the table. But he also digs around the bottom of his bag for another object. The writer gives a little noise of triumph as he retracts his hand clutching a tube of pink lip gloss.

Nathaniel turns his head to stare at the tube, mind whirring a mile a minute.

It’s like the universe has presented him with a perfect opportunity on a silver platter, just now. Nathaniel watches intently as the writer uncaps the tube, swiping the little brush against his bottom lip, before pursing his mouth to coat his top lip with the shiny pink liquid.

This was it. This was Nathaniel’s chance.

He props his elbow on the table, angling his body forwards. With his stomach twisting in knots, he asks, “Hey, can I try your lip gloss?” He internally cheers at how even and smooth his voice sounds.

Marc blinks up at him, long and dark lashes fluttering. Nathaniel tries to give the other his most charming smile—the one he practiced in the mirror last night in preparation for this moment. Marc smiles back at him, a small and warm thing. Nathaniel feels his heart skip a beat.

“Oh, sure!” the writer nods, quickly holding out the tube of lip gloss to Nathaniel.

The redhead feels himself freeze.

Crap. He didn’t expect for Marc to take it so _literally_.

_Okay, Nath. Don’t panic. Keep it cool._

The seconds stretch out, turning awkward as Nathaniel just sits and stares back at Marc like a complete dumbass. The artist feels his cheeks go warm in embarrassment. “Uh…” he manages to squeak out, before clearing his throat. He scrambles for something to say. “I d-don’t…need the whole t-tube…”

Marc blinks back at him, frowning in confusion. “Huh?”

Ohhhhh God, this is a disaster.

Nathaniel just clamps his mouth shut, face feeling as hot as a furnace. The artist can literally _see_ the realization click in the writer’s emerald eyes. Those pretty gem eyes widen as they stare back at him.

Marc’s tanned face quickly fills with a cute blush. He opens his mouth and lets out a quiet, “Oh…”

They stay like that, frozen in place and staring into each others’ eyes, both blushing deeply.

“You tried!”

The two whip their heads to stare at Alix, who’s giving them a thumbs up, her other hand clamped over her mouth and looking on the verge of breaking down into laughter.

“Now kiss already…!” Marinette calls soon after, from next to her mannequins.

Nathaniel begins to sputter out an excuse, hearing Marc stutter alongside him.

“So cute!” Rose squeals, very loudly. She’s attached to Juleka’s arm, bodily shaking her girlfriend. The goth just looks wholly bemused by the entire ordeal.

Nathaniel glances over at Marc, noting the other’s beet-red in the face. No doubt, his own face is now the color of his hair.

The two accidentally make eye-contact, before quickly whipping their heads away, severing the connection and effectively ignoring each other. Nathaniel can _feel_ the awkwardness rolling off Marc in waves, a tangible thing.

“Now, everyone. No need to make a ruckus,” their teacher starts in an even voice, clapping his hands together. “Please go back to what you were working on before.”

Mr. Carracci looks over at Nathaniel with that paternal smile of his. And then the man gives a wink, eyes glittering with amusement. Nathaniel wants the floor to open up under him _right this instant_ , thanks.

The rest of the club members give agreeable responses to the art teacher, all seemingly going back to their personal projects. Nathaniel feels paranoid as he stiffly turns back to his sketchbook, keeping his gaze locked on the pages. He doesn’t want to risk embarrassing himself further.

* * *

After about five minutes of deeply awkward silence and staring unseeingly at his sketchbook, the redhead feels a nudge at his shoulder. He jolts, watching as Marc’s notebook butts up against Nathaniel’s sketchbook, before it nudges the sketchbook to the side.

At the top of a fresh page, there’s a note in Marc’s neat script, which reads:

_I can let you ‘borrow’ my lip gloss after club?_

Nathaniel cautiously looks over at his comic partner, who’s pink in the face and biting his bottom lip, smearing the fresh lip gloss.

God. He _really_ wants to kiss Marc right now.

Instead, he picks up his pencil and scrawls out ‘Yes’ with a heart under Marc’s note. Looking back up, he shoots the other a shy smile, pulse thrumming like a war drum.

Marc returns the shy smile with one of his own, emerald eyes glittering bright. He nods, and giggles. Nathaniel’s heart does a gymnastics routine in his chest.

* * *

Nathaniel’s always wondered what Marc’s lip gloss tastes like.

It tastes like strawberry.

He can certainly get used to it.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> I love my sons so much. They're dorks. The cutest, most adorable dorks.


End file.
